BLACK SWAN and WONDER world premiere musicals and more set for American Repertory Theatre — Page 3

Boston Globe Review: (behind paywall)

ART's 'Black Swan' has a powerful lead performance and a show that can't live up to it

I never saw the movie. Will I be at a disadvantage?  

I was so looking forward to seeing this.  I loved the movie and I thought the score to The Great Comet was a work of genius.  What a let down!  I attended with 5 other people and the kindest assessment was that it was very professionally done, even if the finished product was bad.

I think the problem was with the basic decision making.  They did not come up with an exciting Act 1 opener or closer, with nothing in Act 1 receiving more than indifferent applause.  They decided not to use ANY Swan Lake music (even threads) in the closing number that the entire show was leading to, and IMO you could not tell that the number had anything to do with Swan Lake, beyond the horrible costume that Nina wore in the number..  I was not looking for a reproduction of the movie, but I did expect that to be a starting off point.  Here, the music they used was totally unmemorable, and the choreography much too jerky (which is a little of a Sonya Tateh (sic) thing.  It didn't work in Finding Neverland and it didn't work here.  Note: some of the earlier choreography was quite good; however.

Melanie Moore was a very strong, athletic dancer, which was what the choreography required of her.  She proved to be a good actress and sang quite well; unfortunately, she had nothing worth singing.  The performances were generally fine, and Amber Imam was more than fine, playing a character created for this show.

Of course ,the performance got the obligatory standing ovation after about 10 - 15 seconds of tepid applause.  The audience did not seem to like it, although the applauded several of the performers loudly.  I listened hard as we exited and heard no good comments, the ones I heard generally being snarky.

I cannot imagine this going anywhere after Cambridge, other than perhaps back to the drawing board, with a rethinking of the basic concept.   If they decide to go back to the drawing board, they need to keep it small, because there is no place where I can imagine such a dark musical being a popular hit.

To put things in perspective for those who love CATS, I didn't hate this nearly as much as I hated CATS.  Jellicle Ball or not, it is still CATS; and for me at least, a bad interpretation of Black Swan is going to be more .enjoyable than any version of CATS

Saw it last night with Ava Noble as Nina.

1) Conceptually this is a great show. The effects in the second half were ASTONISHING.  Leroy was great.  The trio of the three older women was fantastic.  Much of the dancing is very good, some of the best I've seen at ART.  They did a good job shrinking the movie and simplifying the second act.  The mirror scenes and lighting are very effective.  Overall the lighting "effects" are extraordinary.

2) Very curious to see Melanie as the primary Nina.  Might buy another ticket.  Ava's dancing was OK, but never got the sense that she was actually better than Lily.  Her acting was very good and she had a sweetness and fragility that mixed well with mental illness and the external pressures applied on her.

3) There is no sense that this is an actual ballet company. MAYBE it looks like a modern dance company.  I'm not a ballet expert but the chorus doesn't look or move like professional ballet dancers.  (however Amber is credible as an ex-dancer, and principals obviously can't be principal-level ballerinas).  There's no sense of place (unlike the movie which seemed to align with NYC Ballet) but the show setting only works as a traditional major city ballet company.  Which leads to a terrible sequence where they try to raise the stakes as the "Board" is questioning artistic decisions in rehearsals. There is no major dance institution in the US where that sequence of events could occur, only very small companies.  Perhaps they could introduce some mega-donor who's opinion was specifically important, but the average board member has zero tactical influence on a specific ballet.

4) The last five minutes make no sense.  Some of the worst dancing of the show, with no linkage to Swan Lake. The final sequence of events make no sense, unlike the movie. Nina's costume, while attractive, does not permit the sequence of events. The ending of the movie, while over the top, is at least internally consistent.  The show's ending has gaping holes.  And it misses the key tension between the beauty and grace of ballet and the tragic fall of Nina.  This is the place for a non-pointe ballet influenced by modern dance, not a pure modern dance.

Updated On: 6/19/26 at 01:36 PM

I saw the show over the weekend and found it to be a mixed bag with a lot of promise.

The book -- as has become the case with most new musicals -- is the biggest issue. No character is really fleshed out all that well so motivations don't make a lot of sense. I think changing the choreographer from a man to a woman is fine, but then suddenly LeRoy doesn't have much of a personality. I think she needed to be rougher and meaner, Amber Iman exudes a warmth that is at odds with what the character needs, though she is very good with the thin role she's given. The mother needs to be more overbearing and far more present from the start, I also saw Kate's understudy and thought she was sufficient but not the energy needed. Nina's breakdown seems to come out of nowhere because her mother isn't particularly intense and LeRoy isn't pushing her hard enough. Which then puts Melanie Moore at a disadvantage having to find some connective tissue to bring it at all together.

The score I found hit or miss, the solos were significantly better than any of the ensemble songs (aside from the opening number which sets the tone very well). I thought all the ensemble numbers (the gala, the club, the dressing room in act 2) veered into camp in a bad way and messed with the uneasy feeling that should be growing as the show goes on. A lot of the recitative in the show felt like reheated Great Comet nachos, the orchestration seemed to be lifted right from that show and sort of just reminded me how good THAT score is. It's ambitious and very Dave Malloy and I don't think it is entirely successful.

The choreography is excellent top to bottom. Tayeh is really asking a lot of the cast and they are delivering across the board. Yes, it often leans more modern dance than it does ballet, but it's thrilling to watch. Her direction is clear and stylish, though hindered a bit by the book (and we have GOT to cut the Nutcracker dancers). The special effects are incredibly well done and very cool to see so many of them practical vs. projections.

The cast is largely fantastic even when the material is not the best. Melanie Moore is incredibly likable and sweet, a very different take than Portman in the film. She is mousier and softer, less tortured, I think she needs to lean away from the fear in act 2 and lean into the insanity. Her Nina felt like she was aware that she was going crazy and I don't think she should. She is a good singer and an exceptional dancer. I do not know how she is doing that 8x a week.

Amber Iman is always good and here is no different. But she simply is not given much of a character to play. She has some one-liners and comebacks for Sesma's head of the company, there are shades of her maybe being intense, but that goes away quickly and she just seems like she wants to give Nina a big hug. Her costumes are also odd to say the least.

Mehry Eslaminia was on for Barbara, she was fine. I couldn't help think what Kate Jennings Grant may have been like, but then my mind wandered to Veanne Cox (who did the first reading) and Rachel York, and Emily Skinner. Someone with more fire, drive, and presence. The role doesn't have a whole lot to do which puts the actor at a disadvantage.

I thought another clear standout was Tory Trowbridge as Beth. She's beautiful and a gorgeous dancer with a killer voice, but she is also an incredibly committed actor. They've given Beth more of a presence in the show and I think Trowbridge works wonders with it.

Lily here feels like a featured ensemble role. You never really get a sense of who she is, she doesn't have a song or anything of her own. Jada is good but, again, she just doesn't have a whole lot to do.

There is a lot of promise but I hope they do not rush this to Broadway as soon as possible and instead take the time to workshop and adjust and improve it.

I caught this last week, and honestly I can't praise it enough. I can understand many of the critiques others have raised, but while there are areas with room for improvement, they paled in comparison to the moments that left me in complete and utter awe. I've seen many, many shows in my time, but this one had me feeling exhilarated in a way I'm not sure I've ever felt at any other show.

Much has been said about the dancing already, and there's hardly any more praise I could give that would be new. Still, this may be the best choreography I've ever seen in a musical. The ensemble is giving it their all, and the principal cast told so much of the story through the dancing alone. There was so much character work done just in watching Nina and Lily execute the same choreography in different ways.  (And to reiterate, those who have said there isn't any ballet in the show are simply incorrect.)

What Melanie Moore is giving to this show is hard to wrap my head around. I can't think of a single role that demands more of a performer. Watching her reminded me of Cynthia Erivo doing a two show day after running a half-marathon, but this show *is* Melanie's marathon. How anyone can do what she's doing 8 times a week is truly astounding to me. I truly don't think she can be celebrated enough for what she's doing on that stage. An olympian feat of physical demands, while portraying such a psychotically haunted character AND having to sing on top of it. She barely leaves the stage at all during the show, and she's working her ass off every second that she's on. I can't imagine it would be easy to find anyone else who could take on this role if it were to have a life beyond her involvement.

The lighting design, as others have mentioned, was exquisite. There were countless moments that were beautifully lit and set such a provoking tone to the piece. Using trippy and colorful lighting to indicate a character tripping on drugs can easily come off as cliche, but the way it was done here felt particularly effective and visually stunning. Then in Act 2, the way the lighting was used to show Nina's mind slipping away was just jaw-dropping. The "dance thriller" really came out here, because I was utterly thrilled. There are effects and optical illusions that I haven't been able to stop thinking about and genuinely can't figure out how they were done. 

The scenic design was on the minimalistic side, but very effective. As others have said, the use of mirrors was very well done. The scenic design and lighting both worked seamlessly with the staging to create some incredible visual moments that were both beautiful stage pictures, but also enhanced the story being told.

I haven't seen much love for the orchestrations getting mentioned, but those were another standout for me. The show sounded fantastic from start to finish, but I particularly appreciated the use of actual music from Swan Lake being repurposed with heavy bass and electronic components.

That being said, as a lover of Dave Malloy, I wouldn't say this was my favorite of his scores. It was perfectly adequate and I felt it fit the show well, but I wasn't particularly excited about any songs in particular being added to his discography. Much of it felt reminiscent to Great Comet- the party scenes, the gossiping ensemble, etc. Malloy's greatest strength could perhaps be his ability to bring out the underlying tension between characters, which worked well in this piece, it just didn't seem to do it in a way that exceeded anything we've heard from him before. And Nina's starry-eyed ballad towards the beginning of the show is not half the song that No One Else is.

As has been stated, the book could use some work, though I think reading this thread made me expect it to be in worse shape. It's serviceable as is, but when there's such an abundance of brilliance in the rest of the show, it does raise attention to how truly great this show could be if they were to get the book on that same level. The biggest example of this is with LeRoy's storyline, changing the character to a woman and removing the sexual undertones of the relationship.

On one hand, the change works just fine. It's a story about perfectionism and its effects on the psyche, not about sexual power dynamics. Still though, while it technically works, it just doesn't pack the same punch.

Overall though, the show is in a phenomenal place and it was one of my favorite theatrical experiences ever. Even with the buzz on here being mostly positive, I don't think it did justice to how truly remarkable this show was. The room for improvement just goes to show what a force this show could be if it has life after this, and I think it will.

This pretty much encapsualtes how I felt about it

I think the criticisms are being weighted too heavily. There’s room for improvement, sure, but as the show stands today, it’s already a stupendous piece of theatre. I’d say it may be one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen. Certainly it is more than good enough for NYC stages, even if there are some critiques of it. How many shows currently on Broadway could say there aren’t any criticisms that could be made about them? And most shows on Broadway don’t have all the things going for them that this one does.

bear882 said: "As I haven’t had a chance to discuss the out-of-town tryout ofThe Lunchbox, the Rachel Chavkin-directed musical thatI saw at the Berkeley Rep (aside from chatting with my spouse and doing a writeup here), I have satisfied my curiosity about out-of-town tryouts byGreat Cometalumni by following this thread.

I am struck by the fact that no one, not even ardent admirers ofBlack Swan, has anything terribly positive to say about the book, in particular, or even Dave Malloy’s score - although critiquing one of his ballads as not nearly as good as ‘No One Else’ seems rather unfair, as that song is one of the most beautiful musical theater ballads written thiscentury, IMO. I did wonder how Malloy would do adapting a work that he didn’t create - and if this film would be a good fit.

What the show’s fans seem to love is Melanie Moore’s lead performance and much of the choreography and the show’s lighting and atmosphere. Oh, and Amber Iman, but she’s great in everything.

Is that a fair summary of the musical’s strengths and weaknesses? (I realize that some people hated it.)"

Yes.